The Morning Sun
by Inked Canvas
Summary: Natsu Dragneel was a slave-fighter, a term he calls himself. Owned by the Circuit Runners, an underground fighting community, he finds himself being sold to Lucy, his new Mistress. Lucy is everything what Masters and Mistresses weren't, and Natsu finds himself believing in her words. Something he has never done before -"I promise you Natsu, I'm going to tear the Circuit down." NALU
1. Grip

Hey guys! I'm new to the FT fandom so this is my very first NaLu fanfic! I was inspired by Into The Ring by eviltrinity and waiting for their weekly updates were so painful my heart couldn't like seriously. It dies every chapter. And so this was born, because I had to do something while waiting for LITERALLY THE BEST NALU STORY EVER. If you haven't read Into The Ring, I suggest you do. It's so worth it.

Prompt: Worst in Me - Bad Omens, Holy - PVRIS

I don't own Fairy Tail!

Enjoy x

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CHAPTER 1 – GRIP

 _I had you in my grip_

 _But you're simply lost; a set of empty bones_

Natsu Dragneel had his head smashed against metal parts of the van at least 3 times in the past hour. It wasn't a pretty image, really –not with the string of curses that flew in his head every time his grip slipped from the seat.

Actually, make that 4.

The van ran over another unexpected bump and Natsu barely had the chance to slam his body against the metal interior of the van lest he fall off his seat. Was the driver really that bad that he couldn't cross a damn bump without making him feel like his head was splitting apart? Pressing his body against the solid structure, he waited for the van to smoothen its ride once again before relaxing his back. Mavis, his head was _pounding_ from the repeated beatings and his hands felt numb.

He attempted to wiggle of his fingers but all he felt in return was a smarting feeling. He wasn't surprised that his arms fell asleep, after all they did strap him up in a straitjacket and bound him tightly he scantily had enough room to take a deep breath. The straitjacket wasn't the only thing he had on him that prevented him from doing pretty much anything, there was a stupid mask that smelled like something he didn't even want to know. His sense of smell had always been sensitive; maybe they dosed the mask in something on purpose, or maybe they didn't. Either way, the smell choked him and he tried to breathe in as little as possible. And this brought to the part where movement, sight and smell –all 3 robbed from him. Talk about preventive measures much.

You might be wondering how he got himself in this situation, being strapped down and transported to Mavis knows where. Hell, he'd like to know how he'd got mixed up in this too. Because as far as he could remember, his whole life had always been like this; being treated like some sort of prisoner. Natsu did feel like a prisoner, but he really wasn't. Close, but not quite.

He was a slave-fighter, if that was even the correct term he could call himself.

Circuit Runner was an underground trade company that involved the illegal trade of slave-fighters, and they were a company that owned Natsu up 'till a week ago. This group of people called him 'The Merchandise', like he was some sort of object to be used, displayed and sold and you know what's the worst of it? He _was_ treated like the object he'd described. But description aside, Natsu didn't like calling himself 'The Merchandise', and so he'll call himself as how he saw fit, which was a slave-fighter.

What he's probably telling you at the moment probably makes no sense so logically speaking, he should begin at the beginning. Which he will –like right now.

The sole reason why slave-traders like him existed was because of an underground fighting community, known as the 'Circuit'. Like other rings, the Circuit pitted 2 fighters against each other. Unlike other rings, safety words did not exist. You think the word 'no' would get you out of a fight? He'd give a laugh –the only way out from a fight is to get knocked out, or you know, _die._ Most of the fighters (or players like a chess piece because Natsu felt incredibly used) in the Circuit had to be owned by a Master, which most of the time happened to be blue bloods that just had too much cash and time on their hands. The fighters that weren't part of a rich snob's property, they were part of the Circuit Runner's display list. Those on the display list were sent into the Circuit in hopes for potential customer to like what they see and buy them off. But a Master was only entitled to a single fighter in the contract with the Circuit Runner, something Natsu was thankful for.

Now, why exactly did rich snobs from the world above the underground slums want fighters in the Circuit for? The answer to that was simple: easy money. And when Natsu meant easy money –he meant thousands generated in a single night. Bets were placed on players in the Circuit and the winning champion brings home 60% of the profit for his Master, or something along those lines. Natsu wasn't quite sure how money was distributed after each fight but with any indication of the wads of green paper he saw in his previous Master's hands, it was a lot.

Slave-fighters were more or less primarily bought as a fighter to win a chance to gain instant cash in the Circuit. Fights in the Circuit were held once every 2 months, and they lasted for a week. The interval between fights came to the part where fighters were reduced to slaves. Because after all, what sane rich miscreant would let their prized 'Merchandise' relax and be treated fairly? If slave-fighters were lucky, they'd only need to do measly house chores, if they were not… other undesirable things lay in wait for them.

And so that was what a slave-fighter was –

-what _Natsu_ was.

What a happy life he led, he thought darkly, his brows furrowing together. But before his thoughts could drag him further down, a voice interrupted him.

" Salamander."

Right. He had forgotten there was a guard stationed next to him during this journey. Well, it was peaceful while it lasted, he internally grumbled as he kept silent.

Unfortunately for Natsu, it seemed that his silence only served to agitate the guard because even with a bag covering his face, the venom in the guard's voice was not left unheard. " _Salamander."_

Salamander, he hated that name. His name was _Natsu_ , not Merchandise and not Salamander. Heavens knows how he'd gotten that name.

In a matter of seconds that came after Natsu's refusal to acknowledge the guard, something cold was pressed to the side of his head. It didn't take him long to figure out that it was the cooling metal nuzzle of a gun snuggling next to his head.

" Unless you want your brain bits on the wall," The man said as he placed more pressure at the site where his 'brain bits' resided. It was right at that instance Natsu decided to name his fellow guard _Potty Head_ courtesy to the fact that Potty Head's head was full of shit like the rest of Circuit Runner's lapdogs. " I suggest ya use that mouth of yours. You're blind but you ain't mute."

Deciding that the Potty Head was probably not putting a bluff with that death threat, and also the fact that he'd like to see it to the end of the day, Natsu hissed out his reply between clenched teeth. " _What_?"

The sudden blow to the side of his face was definitely…unexpected. Or expected, he supposed, because his mouth was just itching for a fight. But then he remembered he was strapped down in this godforsaken straitjacket and he was blinded by this stupid rag. So yes –maybe he should've thought things through but Natsu was never prided on his intelligence. So what was the point of regretting anything now?

The punch at his jaw was sure to give him immediate bruising. His head snapped to the right and the force of the attack sent him sprawling across the floor –at least it should've if the man didn't grab him by the shoulder and shove him back at his seat.

" That's better but ya ain't polite, kid. " Potty Head spoke as he gave Natsu a mock satisfactory pat on the cheek closest to where he'd been punched. The gun was gone from his side, probably back to that slimeball's holster. Potty Head withdrew his hand from Natsu and there was a shifting noise that gravitated to his ears; he could only assumed that the man sat back down. " Now you listen here Salamander," He began again in that no non-sense voice, " We ain't happy that Everlue sent you back to us and we sure as hell ain't happy that we lost a customer. But you're good money, so you get another chance."

Of course _,_ money equated to mercy. How stupid would Natsu be to think otherwise?

But Natsu wasn't overly concerned over money and mercy because - _Everlue,_ that miscreant. Just the thought of him made Natsu growl. He was Natsu's first master and he absolutely despised that insufferable fat old man! The _things_ that Everlue made him do –he shook that thought away; it was for the best if he didn't relive them. By some stroke of luck that was bestowed upon him, he had managed to get away from the old fart. Granted, it got him sent back to Circuit Runner for a few months before getting sold _again_ , but anywhere would be better than with Everlue.

Any time would be a time too soon for Natsu to see that asshole again.

And if he does see him, you can bet his possessions (which wasn't much but it was all that he had) that Natsu would rip out his throat and shove it down that miserable's -

" But if ya screw this up again Salamander, no more mercy ya hear me? We ain't got the time for your shit." Potty Head continued, bursting any train of thoughts that involved Natsu highly efficient method of killing Everlue. And by the stars that hang above them, did Natsu want to kill Everlue right now.

While it was all fun and games thinking about Everlue's death, the guard's death threat loomed over Natsu's head like a towering vulture. Giving himself a moment to compose his thoughts, he took a deep breath. Well, as deep as he could take without feeling like choking from the smell or bodily restrictions.

After a second or two, Natsu replied, his voice cloy as his lips curled into a sinister sneer. " Of course."

" Good," There was a break then, as Natsu heard material ruffling against each other and sound of metal being torn apart from the seams. Not a second later there was a click of a pen and a tap on something solid, probably a file. " Did anyone tell ya about your new Mistress?"

A Master he had expected. But a Mistress?

Natsu frowned. He had definitely not been preparing himself mentally for a Mistress for the past week. There weren't many Mistresses in the Circuit, and Natsu could only place a name on one of the few, which was Minerva. The only reason why Natsu remembered her was the fact that she owned a fighter that looked like he didn't belong in the Circuit at all. His name was Sting, if Natsu recalled correctly, and he had smugness radiating off him like he was some sort of idol to be worshipped. Natsu didn't like him. He didn't like a lot of people to be honest, not when almost everyone he knew weren't the friendliest out there.

He wondered if Minerva dumped Sting's sorry ass and bought Natsu in return. Or if it was one of those nameless Mistresses that bought him instead.

" No."

His answer wasn't a surprise to the guard, seeing that it was standard protocol for slave-fighters to be unaware of the 'confidentially' of things until the very last minute. All he knew was that after his fight which was around 2 weeks ago, someone placed money on him and off he went getting himself dragged around like a ragdoll.

" Her name's Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Jude Heartfilia, " Potty Head said and then he paused, sucking in a large breath of astonishment. Potty Head must have discovered something because he swore a string of words with such utter joy, it made Natsu think he sounded like he struck a jackpot. And then Potty Head started laughing.

If Natsu could name a few things that he found irritable, one of them would be not being in the loop of things. Natsu wondered if there was some sort of joke to her name that he didn't get. Because he failed to see why Potty Head was laughing or why the name 'Lucy Heartfilia' or whatever he had just read was so amusing. Just as he was about to asked what Potty Head's deal was, his unasked question was answered. " Looks like she just turned 21 because _Daddy_ here bought you as her birthday gift."

The fact that Natsu had new blood as a Mistress was overridden by the fact that he was bought as a _present._ For whatever the reason, Natsu choked at that, feeling his saliva going down on the wrong pathway. The fastenings that surrounded his neck did nothing to ease his pain as he coughed, instead it seemed to draw itself tighter with each cough. Tears stung around his eyes and the familiar burn nestled at his nose as he tried to regain his breath. After a while, he managed to breath properly again and he settled on processing what information he had just received.

In all honesty, Natsu wasn't anticipate that _at all_. The answer, he meant. It was one thing to know that his master was a Mistress and a whole 'nother thing to know that he was _some sort of a birthday gift_ to a little girl? Because like, what on Earthland? What type of sicko would give his daughter a slave-fighter?

With the way Potty Head was laughing still, Natsu knew he had his answer.

Apparently rich miscreants like his new Mistress's father did.

Trying to calm things down in his mind like the adult that he was, Natsu interrupted Potty Head's laughing spree with a question. " Are there any special requests?"

Special requests were a common thing for experienced buyers, when they were looking for certain traits in a slave-fighter to be used to their benefits. Everlue had filed in a special request before getting Natsu and his request was for a 'pretty face' for guest entertainments. Seeing that Lucy's father was the one that bought him in her place, and he knew Jude was a regular at the Circuit, Natsu was sure that special requests were definitely made before they narrowed Jude's choices down to him.

" Healthy man under the age of 20," Potty Head recited off what Natsu presumed to be Lucy's file, " From the way this sounds, ya probably gonna be her new sex toy."

…sex toy?

The thought of it left Natsu shaking under his restraints from anger, feeling the slow rise of heat boiling under his skin. Minutes ago, the initial thought of Everlue made him want to scream bloody murder and he barely managed to contain himself without the help of Potty Head's death threat. Now to find out that he was being sent back to another person _exactly like Everlue –_ he couldn't believe his ears.

He had thought that maybe a new blood Mistress would be _at least_ a little bit better than Everlue.

But it seemed like his luck ran dry because Natsu was stuck with another person exactly like Everlue.

Potty Head on his part, seemed very in tune with Natsu's behavior and possible derangement as he took quick action.

Natsu heard the buzz of static crackling in the air before it was rammed up at his side. His muscles jumped at the contact, but he was a second short from stopping the lick of electricity that jumped into his system. Everything that happened right after this was an absolute nightmare. A coarse scream tore past his lips as he felt a burst of sudden foreign energy invading his skin and making its way _underneath_ it. Electricity pulsed within his veins like a slithering snake, working its way around his body quickly and Natsu felt nothing unmitigated pain coursing through him as it did so. Not an inch of his muscle or anything for that matter was in his control as they spazzed uncontrollably, his heart clenching painfully tight under his chest as the pace of its beating increased quickly. The loud thuds of his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ear but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the buzz of static bouncing between both ears and mind.

Then, as quickly as it came, it stopped.

His muscles went lax immediately as he slumped in his seat, the vibration that hummed in his body seconds ago lingered still.

" What did I just say to ya?" Potty Head jeered tauntingly. " No screwing it up? Ring a bell?"

Natsu couldn't even answer Potty Head's jibe, not with how his tongue was flaccid in his mouth.

" Let me tell ya something kid, you better listen to what your Mistress wants. If she wants sex, ya give her sex. I don't want a word of complain from the Heartfilia's." And then he stopped, for emphasis sake. " Or _else._ "

Natsu had enough of threats for today, so he settled by saying nothing to Potty Head's final remarks. He was still angry at the new found information about being another sex toy to his Mistress but what good would his anger do at this point? Like what Potty Head had said, whatever this _Lucy_ wanted, he _had_ to give –lest he served the consequences. He could give his Mistress the benefit of doubt, that she would somehow be a little kinder to him by ignoring his very existence in her home. But Natsu doubted that kind of treatment would pass him by; the rich blooded rarely –if not never, passed up the opportunity to show the dominance over Natsu's own actions.

The ride to the Heartfilia's after that was a quiet one. Potty Head was uncommunicative on his end, and Natsu was still trying to recuperate after getting tazed. His body still felt like jelly, and the state of his mind… It wasn't in any condition to be considered as 'okay' too. A sex toy and a Mistress… The 2 things that Natsu was not prepared for in the least. Another hour passed and eventually he had come to terms with the situation. If his Mistress wanted him to do xyz, he would do xyz. He could only hope that performing what his Mistress wanted could at least grant him some sort of freedom in his her home.

When the van abruptly came into a stop, Natsu heard Potty Head stood up and made his way to Natsu.

" No funny business," Potty Head warned, as worked out the fasteners around Natsu's neck before taking the rag off his head.

 _Finally_ , he could see and breathe again. He blinked a few times to get himself adjusted to the brightness illuminating the tiny compartment he'd been coped up in for the past hour. The place was bare, save for Natsu's duffel bag of belongings and Potty Head's bag.

Once the straitjacket was off, leaving him in his threadbare muscle tee, his arms once folded against his stomach fell limp at his side, numb and heavy. His arms were so far lost from feeling that he couldn't feel the cold kiss of metal on his palm when he leaned against the metal frame of the van. After a while of moving it around, its smarting eventually wore off, leaving gradual warmth flooding its in wake. He pressed his palm on the metal again, and was greeted with a cool touch. Good. It's working again.

A heavy click dragged Natsu back to Potty Head, who was busy unlocking the door. Giving a quick assessment to his guard, Potty Head looked like the standard Circuit Runner thug: solid bulk of muscle, bald and grouchy. With the deadbolt undone, Potty Head turned to him and said warningly, " If ya even try to escape," He stopped as he moved his hand and patted down on the gun hoisted in its holster. Natsu eyed it, his brows closing in on each other and he felt a grim frown work over his lips when the unspoken threat was made clear to Natsu.

And with that, Potty Head quickly ushered Natsu out of the van after grabbing his bag and they both made their way into the Heartfilia estate.

The sky was dark around them, and Natsu could see the stars that hung in the celestial pan clearly, so he could safely assume that they were well out of the city. Another sign that made Natsu confident in his inference was the size of the Heartfilia estate. It was just _huge_ -like massively huge. There was no possible way that the city was able to spit out enough space to build this whole structure. As they walked closer, Natsu noticed that the mansion before him was not the only building in sight, but it was the only one that was lighted brightly enough for him to see clearly. The rest had a muted glow of embers hanging along the rooftops and at the pathways; they had an eerie look if you'd asked him. But Natsu didn't get the chance to give a closer inspection because the entrance door opened, with a pink haired maid standing next to it.

" Princess is not home right now, but she has told me to stand in her place," The maid said, her tone was light and inviting, but the funny thing was that her voice somehow was void from any sort of emotion. How did that maid do that, he had no absolute idea. Natsu gave her a weary look when he noticed her steel blue eyes taking in his appearance, her facial expression remained passive as she did so. She pushed the doors opened wider, allowing the both of them to enter the house. " My name is Virgo." She added awkwardly after she closed the door, like an afterthought.

" Gurnik," Potty Head replied Virgo and Natsu internally snorted, looked like Potty Head had a name after all. Not that Natsu would be using it anytime soon. " The kid here is Natsu Dragneel."

" Hello," Natsu droned.

" Welcome to the Heartfilia's Natsu-sama."

His eyes that were once wandering around to the decorations littering the room whizzed back to Virgo, the suffix _–sama_ behind his name not going unwanted in his ears. Virgo still had her blank smile plastered over her face when he numbly let out a small choke, echoing his name on Virgo's lips.

Potty Head frowned at the honorable suffix, and he folded his arms. " I don't think ya should be calling him that."

Virgo who seemed to be incapable of emotion, at least in Natsu's opinion, somehow managed to flip a switch of emotion and glared at Potty Head. Her icy blue eyes mimicked the look of a hissing cat, only with less hissing and more composure. " Any of Princess' associates will be called _sama._ Is there a problem with that?"

Potty Head harrumphed in defeat, surely knowing well enough that if he started anything, it was more likely than not to end terribly. With how Natsu's eyes followed Potty Head's line of sight to the suspiciously shiny black suitcase, which was probably holding the amount needed for this final transaction, Natsu knew he was doing it for the money.

" I am glad that is settled," Virgo said with a smile, her aggressive demeanor gone from sight. " The money –"

Virgo's sentence was cut off by an abrupt slam of the entrance door, which made everyone turn around to give a good look. In came in a young busty blonde girl, a frown on her lips as she spoke sharply into the phone.

" Look Loke, I told you I can't make it tonight," Natsu heard her say into the phone as she hastily threw her bag onto a nearby couch, not once looking over at their direction. " What do you mean –NO! I'm tired okay! I swear, _if_ you're implying that I'm _lying_ you better be praying to –" She stopped herself short, a look of surprise washing over her face when she heard Virgo calling out to her. A quick assessment was done with her diligent brown eyes as she gave a once over on the situation and then she spoke into her phone, " I need to go. I'll call you back later –yes, _5 minutes_. " There was slight pause before her face morphed into a literal demon as she hissed, " _Goodbye_ Loke." And promptly hung up.

So this was his new mistress, Natsu gathered. From the way how she had responded to Virgo's 'princess' call, he knew instantly that this was Lucy Heartfilia.

Natsu eyed her as she moved in closer to their little group, her heels clanking loudly against the marble floor. " I'm sorry for that earlier," She said, " I wasn't expecting you all to still be here."

" We were just finishing up Princess," Virgo replied.

" Is that so?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow at Virgo who just nodded a reply. Lucy turned her gaze at him then, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him. " Is this the Merchandise?"

There it was again – _the Merchandise._

Natsu found himself giving out a snarky reply instead of leaving it to Potty Head to make any confirmations. His lips curled into a smile as he gestured to himself, hands moving from his head to his hip. " Yes this _is_ the Merchandise in all his glory."

Lucy clicked her tongue but said nothing in reply -at least not to him. Under her breath, thanks to his overly sensitive hearing, he heard her mumble 'Filthy'. Yes, Natsu knew he was grubby, covered in nothing but dirt and grime seeing that he hadn't had the chance of cleaning himself since he was dragged out from the Circuit but she could at least not mention it out loud. Despite the multitude of comebacks he had running in his head, he settled to chewing the insides of his mouth to refrain from saying anything, when Potty Head shot him a warning look.

Potty Head decided to take ahold of the situation as he began to apologize to Lucy, all the while shooting discrete glares at Natsu's direction. His apologizes were cut short however, when Lucy's phone began to ring in her hand, effectively drowning out Potty Head's voice.

A flash of annoyance slipped onto his Mistress' face when she checked the caller ID, and Natsu could assume it was from the person she had been speaking to earlier. Instead of picking up the call like he thought she would, she directed her attention to Virgo.

" Get him cleaned up," Lucy instructed Virgo, " And prepare a set of clothing for him as well."

" I will Princess."

" I'll be taking my leave now," Lucy told them, but Natsu felt like she was directing it to Potty Head instead. " Thank you for coming."

She murmured something to Virgo and when Lucy pulled away from Virgo, she gave one last nod towards Potty Head and her gaze bypassed him entirely as she answered her phone. So now he was an object not to be acknowledge? Wasn't that something new, Natsu silently snarled to himself. The muscles around his lips tightened as Natsu watched her walk up the stairs with her back turned towards him, her voice being softer as each second passed and then she disappeared from his sight and Natsu could no longer hear her anymore.

Virgo passed Potty Head the suitcase enclosing the cash almost soon after Lucy left, but Natsu wasn't interested in the politics of things that evolved around the sale of himself. After a while, things seemed to be settled as Potty Head looked ready to leave the mansion. Natsu looked at Potty Head when he called his attention, his eyes narrowing slightly as he silently wondered what Potty Head wanted to say to him now.

" Remember its ya last warning Salamander," Potty Head said with a smile that made Natsu bite his own tongue. " No more mercy if ya get sent back to us."

And with that, he left, leaving Natsu alone with Virgo.

Natsu watched the doors slam shut, its sturdy frame causing a booming echo along the empty hallways. The echo somehow seemed to latch onto the tempo of his heart, and Natsu could hear it ring within his own ears. Doors were a good metaphor, in his opinion. They represented an opening as much as an ending. The Heartfilia's entrance door, the one that Potty Head exited minutes ago –showed a new chapter in Natsu's life, one that involved a Mistress named Lucy. And it also represented an ending for his time of freedom, no matter how limited it had been in the Circuit.

It was ironic, really, that a door could bring about various meanings to it.

" Shall we go, Natsu-sama?" Virgo asked, pulling Natsu out of his thoughts. The dry humor left him instantly, a sudden heaviness feeling him in its stead. He couldn't lament over closed doors anymore, and he couldn't think of freedom. No more chances, he reminded himself, not if he wanted to die.

Meeting Virgo's pale eyes, he forced a smile and rolled his hands out before her. " Lead the way."

Welcome to the Heartfilia's.

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And that concludes chapter 1! Currently I only have this one chapter done, and who knows when I'll be done with the next chapter and if I'll continue with it. I'm actually kinda posting to see how you all response to it :) If no one is really interested I'll be keeping this story for myself haha, and write at my own pace x)

On a side note, I also do hope that Natsu and Lucy isn't too OCC - I mean Lucy is in this chapter but that'll be explained in future chapters.

Hope you all enjoyed it! Tell me your thoughts of this story too!

Leave a review/fav/alert!

Inked.


	2. Saving Grace

I don't own Fairy tail x

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CHAPTER 2 - Saving Grace

 _Who did I think I could save?_

Lucy wasn't in a good mood.

She hasn't been in a good mood since 2 weeks ago, when her father came into her room and announced that he would be buying her a player to use in the Circuit as a birthday gift. A _birthday gift_. She knew that it was just an excuse that he conjured up, so he could have increased chances of winning cash during the fights in the Circuit with 2 players under his name. Lucy wasn't stupid; she knew how her father worked.

Of course that conversation had blown into one huge fight between the both of them and it resulted with Lucy slamming the door at her father's face and camping over at her best friend Levy's house for a few nights to cool things off.

She had tried again to reason with her father that she refused to have a person _bound_ to her by illegal means. Lucy couldn't stand it –she couldn't take advantage of someone like that! But her father wouldn't listen, not that she thought he would anyway. After her multiple attempts in trying to dissuade her father, Lucy didn't have the energy to try again when it all failed.

Loke, one of the bodyguards that her father had assigned to her since she was a child, had caught wind of the whole situation about a week ago and had been trying to cheer her up ever since. She appreciated his efforts, really, but she needed to sort her head before she could go out and about with people. It was one of the few reasons why Loke had been calling her phone every few hours, an update as he would put it. But it wasn't an update in reality, it was more like a bait to swing by the club called Fairy Tail to 'loosen up'. For a bodyguard, he sure was lax with his job.

Lucy sighed as she combed her blonde locks with her fingers, trying to calm her mind. Her plan in not meeting the Circuit Runner today was totally jeopardized, seeing that even after lingering around Levy's bookstore for over an hour, she still managed to walk in on them. She had hoped that she wasn't around the house when the buying process was taking place –and when they transferred the pink haired boy into her custody. She refused to call him " Merchandise" like how her father referred him as. She knew she had called him Merchandise minutes ago, whilst she did feel bad calling him that, there was no other way Lucy could bring herself to behave and act in front of the Circuit Runner, not when they could report to her father how 'nice' she was towards the boy.

Not to mentioned she hadn't read his file, which meant that she had no way of knowing his name.

Putting all thoughts of the boy and the term merchandise aside, she was just thankful that Loke's insistent callings was put up to good use for once, with that being her excuse to get away from the horrible ordeal.

" Lucy," Loke's voice filled her room and she glanced at the phone lying next to her on her bed. Concern was evident in his voice and Lucy tried not to think too much about it. " Do you want me to come over?"

" No, go enjoy yourself with all your 'girlies'," She said, almost gagging at the end at the thought of his latching onto other girls like he always does. She couldn't believe he was 5 years her senior, honestly, he acted like he was a hormonal teenager sometimes. " I'm fine."  
" You don't sound fine."

" I said I'm fine Loke. Shut up."

The line went quiet after that as Lucy stared at her ceiling, green phosphorescence light littering her ceiling as tiny stars. How long has she been staring at her ceiling? 10 minutes? She would guess that at least 5 minutes had passed since leaving Virgo and the rest at the hallways. Lucy had collapsed onto her bed instantly when she reached her room and switched Loke onto speaker mode.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she swiped up her phone from the mattress. " I'm gonna go –please stop calling me. I'm going to sleep before you even ask."

Loke sighed, his breath crackling over the speaker and she knew that he'd seen through her lie. " Lucy… I know you aren't happy with the situation right now but there isn't anything you can do about it. For all you know, that kid might not even be happy with the situation too. Go and talk to him at least, he might not be a bad person like Gajeel."

" Gajeel's different, ," Lucy interjected heatedly, feeling slightly annoyed that Loke even compared the pink haired boy with one of her closest friends. " He's been with us for years."

" Don't use that as an excuse Lucy!" Loke snapped back, but Lucy didn't take it to heart, she knew he was just acting out for her best interest. After a moment, he quietly added, " Just go talk to him."

She sighed. " Okay."

Loke sounded generally surprised at her answer, if his slightly hitched voice was any indication. " Okay?"

" Yes," She repeated, " Okay."

Loke was right. She had to talk to him - Lucy owed that boy at least that. She couldn't mope around in her room like a spoilt brat, she was 21 for heaven's sake! A responsible, mature and sane adult was what she needed to be. So what if her father bought a _person_ for her? She had no control over that. But she _had_ control over how the boy was treated in her household and she will damn well make sure that he would enjoy his stay over here.

" Thanks," She found herself saying over the phone, " Sorry for being such a brat."

He laughed and all the tension held between them was gone with the echo of his mirth. " You're welcome princess –and also Lucy, you're always a brat. But you're my little cutie brat that lies precious in my he-"

Rolling her eyes at the sudden change of his mood, she hung up with much of a second's thought. Honestly, she didn't know how she even put up with his attitude sometimes. But Loke did come with his perks, she supposed, so she couldn't complain much.

Tossing her phone onto her mattress, she stood up and made her way to the bathroom. A good old bath would ease away her worries for a while, and she definitely needed a clear head when she talked with the boy later.

45 minutes later, Lucy found herself outside that boy's room with her hands fumbling over the hem of her dress before raising them to knock on the door. When no one answered after a few knocks, she opened the door and went in. The room was bare, save for the furniture littering the room, it was void of any human touch that showed someone was living here. It wasn't a guest room, those rooms were at another section of the house. This was just one of those extra rooms they had for some reason Lucy couldn't remember. Her house was made up of mainly empty rooms, that was all Lucy knew.

Giving the room a once over, he wasn't anywhere in sight, and judging by the fact that there was a new set of clothes laying on the bed, she could safely assume that he was showering like how she had instructed Virgo to do so. She might as well pass time while she waited, she thought, and with that she plucked out a random book from the bookshelf and sat on the bed.

" The Howl," She murmured, her face forming into an expression that mimicked confusion as she read off the title of the book. That was strange. She'd never read this book before –much less even knew about the existence of this book, which was saying a lot. Lucy had more or less conquered all the books within her vicinity of her home, and to find one that she's never read before… it definitely was strange.

Oh well.

At least she could read it in its whole now, since there was no possible way for her to skip to her favorite parts of the story.

The introduction of the story was an odd one –it went on about owls, checkered boxes and pen ink. A peculiar combination of items, if she had to say, but it blended well with what was to go on next. She was so absorbed into the story (she was at page 38 in case you were wondering) that she failed to notice the bathroom door open, bringing in a gust of steam into the bedroom. Little did Lucy know that by the bathroom door, stood a man glowering at her as he watched her relaxed form on the bed. When she did register another presence in the room however, it was when a pair of warm arms slipped around her waist and dragged her body back into something solid.

And she knew in a heartbeat that it was him.

The feel of _wet_ naked skin through the thin fabric of her nightgown was close enough to send her mind into frizzles as she tensed up like a spring coil, almost daring herself to unwind. She was numbly aware that she lost her page mark of The Howl with the sudden intrusion of skin and body, and it lay at the edge of the bed –the other side of the bed where she lied moments ago. It felt like almost all function of her body was lost, as she sat limply on his lap. But the funny part of everything was how she was nimbly attentive of the lightest tickle of his hair on her skin.

He traced his nose gently along the curves of her neck, his warm breath fanning over skin and tickling her ear. " Looks like someone's eager, " He growled, his voice deep and husky and she was hooked on it like a trance. Sex voice, she numbly thought as she felt her head run a thousand miles, he had a sex voice. Mavis, what thought was that even –she was losing herself. All because of skin contact and that sex voice!

Despite the internal battle between brain and body, or the lack thereof, he continued on with his administrations.

" My Mistress," He whispered, dragging his hands over her legs and resting them on her hip. Heat flared under his fingertips as calloused fingers felt like sandpaper on her skin, with each stroke of his thumb at her hip sending jolts of electricity up her spine. " All dressed up for me to unwrap."

His teeth grazed her ear, the feel of pointed canines was sharp on her skin. " I suppose I should show you my appreciation."

With his hands making her head spin a literal 360 in her mind, Lucy tried her best to gather her thoughts in position. To think that Lucy had only wanted to talk to the boy and then got herself in _this_ situation? Of all situations that could've happened? That was bitter fate as she would call it.

She mentally cursed.

Now seemed like a bad time to mention the fact that for 21 years of her life, she had almost 0 romantic contact with the opposite sex. Sure she had guy friends, but guy friends didn't do things like this! Heavens, she hadn't even had her first kiss yet! Lucy knew she was attractive (just look at her boobs –its _huge_ ) but she just wasn't interested in men… not that she was interested in women. She just meant that for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to like a man romantically at the moment.

She had a nagging suspicion that her 'whatever reason' was probably because of how much a jackass her father was.

Although she currently did not harbor any romantic feelings for any men right now, that didn't entail that she was immune to a man's touch either.

Trying her best to ignore the warmness spreading throughout her body, she asked cautiously, careful to not make any sudden movements around him. She'd had more than enough experience of almost getting socked in the face because of her tendency to scare people -namely Gajeel, the fighter that her Father owned- to know that it was best to just stay still.

And try to keep her heart rate at a normal pace. Because she could hear it pounding between her ears as of right now.

Gathering her courage and scattered thoughts, she asked, " What are you doing?"

" What does it look like?" He responded as he leaned forward, pink hair and hooded eyes peeking through at the side of her face. There was a lazy grin etched on his face, slightly pointed canines digging into the bottom of his lip. " I'm making you feel good."

And then he slipped his hand under her dress.

That was all that was needed for her to throw out whatever sense of maturity she had for the situation out the window and down the drain. Screw not making any sudden movements -she couldn't just sit still and let that man molest her!

Flying to other side of the bed in the speed of light, Lucy felt her face burn a thousand shades of red as she processed what _literally just happened_. A series of questions shot by her mind quickly. Did he really just slip his hand under her dress to _feel her up?_ And not just that –she did actually just sat on his lap while he continued on fondling –could she even call it fondling, Mavis, her mind was a mess- her.

She buried her face between her hands as she stifled a groan. By the stars, she had no self-control at all! She was mortified! She didn't think that she ever felt more embarrassed than she did right now in her entire life –it was even worse than stepping on Plue's (her white Maltese) poop in front of her Father's guests. That was saying something.

All because of her lack of experience with men and that touching he did and that –that _sex voice_.

Well, damn.

There was a sudden change in weight on the bed as she felt him crawl closer to her, and her body went rigid in response.

" No! Don't come any closer!" She shot one hand out towards him, the other still nursing over her red face. Lucy didn't think she could handle him with such close proximity. " You stay where you are!"

There was a break in movement and she heard him say, " Playing innocent huh? I bet you like that."

Lucy didn't have the time to think of a response to that, not when her hands were ripped off her face and she was pushed onto the duvet. He had her caged with both his arms at the side of her shoulder, and her heart raged with incredible speed at the close vicinity their faces had. From this angle, where shadows were casted over his face, his eyes were a deep shade of brown but there were glints of golden green flecks that were reflected off from the table lamp. The devious smile that was accentuated by his abnormally sharp teeth gave him a slight predator look, something that made her feel awfully hot in this flimsy clothing she wore.

Once the momentary distraction was gone, Lucy was reminded that seconds ago this man was feeling her up and now he was trying to be dominating?

" Get off me," She growled, struggling to push him off her. But there was no purchase, his solid form still hovering over her. " I said get off me Merchandise!"

He wrenched himself off her faster than she would've expected. His hands were tightly balled into fists, the whiteness decorating his knuckles was stark against his tan skin. Tension that was not in the area moments ago settled in between them like good old frenemies.

" Merchandise?" He spat, rage brewing in his eyes as he stared down at her. " Should've expected that."

Lucy swallowed hard, internally panicking at how fast the situation was spiraling out of control. She couldn't see the end to this mess anytime soon. " No! It's not like that –"

" No _Mistress_ ," He sneered, the word mistress rolling off his lips like venom. " It's exactly like that. Every one of you is exactly the same."

Deciding that she had zero idea on how to save the state of affairs she was currently in -much less on how to keep the man before her from lashing out in anger, she found herself blubbering out, " I-I'm not here for sex!"

Almost right after the words went past her mouth, she felt like slapping herself. Was that really the best excuse she could give to diffuse the situation? Was that even related to anything that was happening right now? First she had wanted to talk to him, and then found herself getting sexually manhandled by him and now she's getting into a fight with him?

But surprise surprise, the boiling rage in his eyes simmered down and then quietly he said, " What?"

There was still a degree of mistrust and a tinge of temper in them, as she looked at him in the eye. But that was more than enough encouragement to know that her lame excuse she conjured up moments ago definitely hit the nail right on the head to quell his rage. " I'm not here for sex," She repeated, confident that he needed to hear it again.

And she was right. All the fight in him was gone like a diminished flame as he soaked up her words. He numbly sat back down numbly on the bed, " You're… You're not here for sex?" He asked, clear relief in his voice.

Her heart wrenched at that. Lucy could tell at that instance that whatever he had done moments ago… it wasn't part of his will. " I just wanted to talk to you."

He didn't reply after that, his face morphing into one that was deep in thought which led Lucy to do the same as well. Now that the tension was gone from the atmosphere, she was at a loss at everything. He had honestly thought that she was here for sex… She supposed the nightgown she was wearing (she wore nightgowns to sleep every night mind you) did entail some sexy thoughts, but she did absolutely nothing to him that suggested that she even wanted sex. She had even pushed him off and told him _no –_ both of which that should've stopped him from acting out.

And yet, that didn't stop him; all because he had the impression that she wanted it from him.

Not until she'd called him – she winced - Merchandise _._

She had her reasons for calling him that and namely it was because she didn't know his name. And also because she knew he would stop once she uttered the word. Gajeel had mentioned once that none of them appreciated the word, and seemed to her that he was definitely right.

On the other scale of her thoughts, she was furious at the Circuit Runner. What sort of things did the Circuit Runners do to him for him to even have this type of thoughts on the first encounter? Lucy didn't even want to think about it, knowing that unless she had a solution to solve what the Circuit Runners did to him, there was no point in pondering on it too long.

An awkward shade of purple at his jaw caught her eye and concern over his wellbeing took over her. " What happened to your face? "

He awkwardly turned his face away, his bruising jaw out of her sight. " It's none of your business."

Trying her very best not to diss at his attitude, she tried a softer approach, thinking that it was best to not seem to hostile towards him, considering everything that happened within the past hour. " I'm supposed to take care of you."

Apparently, that seemed to be the right choice of words on her end as she managed to scoop out a reply from him. " That slimeball punched me."

She grimaced, not surprised that his answer wasn't the one she was hoping for –she had been hoping that he knocked into a pole but what were the chances at that happening at all? None, that's what. Judging by the discoloration littering his jaw, she could tell that it happened recently, most probably today. Lucy had half the heart to bet that Gurnik was the slimeball that had punched him. He certainly looked the type to go around punching defenseless beings.

" Stay here," She told him as she stood up from the bed and made her way to the door. He looked up from where he was at, and Lucy finally – _finally_ realized that he was clad in only a towel. Determined to not let that affect her, she hurriedly opened the door. " I'm gonna get you some ointments for that bruise. And do change into some clothes."

There was only a stiff nod in response and she closed the door shut.

As Lucy made her way to the kitchen, she dimly wondered: What exactly did her Father get her into?

* * *

Hello everyone! I'm so **happy** with all the responses I had for the first chapter! I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it! Thank you for all the favs/reviews/follows! And because of that, I have to say -this is a SUPER QUICK UPDATE! And gosh, this is actually just half of what I had in mind for Chapter 2 but it was getting really long so I decided to just post what I have for Chapter 2 and save the rest for Chapter 3!

Also, I have to say I struggled with the whole sexy sexy ordeal like mad cause I can't write romance to save my life. ALSO SIDE NOTE, **There is no lemons in this story** Sorry if this disappoints anyone but I don't want to embarrass myself thinking about it 24/7 xD I also do hope everyone loved Natsu in here because I sure did haha x)

Let me know if anyone is OOC because I'm willing to hear them all! Sorry if there's any mistakes here too! Drop me a message so I can correct them!

Review/fav/follow!

 **Review replies:**

 **Guest-chan the cinnamon roll: Thank you so much for dropping a review! It makes me super duper happy that this story managed to get you send in a review! #loveyou**


	3. Distress

Hello all! Sorry for disappearing for a long time, I had trouble writing this but all is well! I still don't like how it turned but so I might come back and do some editing in the future :)

I don't own fairy tail!

Enjoy x

* * *

CHAPTER 3 - DISTRESS

 _I speak out but no one hears_  
 _And slowly I disappear_

When Lucy came back into the room, the pink haired boy was fully clothed " I'm sorry for calling you a merchandise."

Those were the words that came tumbling out of Lucy's lips as she gently applied the healing balm onto his swelling bruise. The ointment stained brown on his skin, but it was barely visible unless she squinted. She doubted he would mind the stain, not when there were faint scar marks littering his hands.

The muscles at his cheek flexed as he opened his mouth to say something but he closed it as quickly as it came.

Lucy frowned as she continued her administration, wondering silently as to what he could've responded. But… at any rate, she wouldn't force him to speak to her until he was comfortable. Just look at what happened earlier when he thought she was in his room to force him for sex! Honestly, the whole situation could've gone down a bit better if she didn't freeze up in the beginning.

But what was done was done; she needed to set things right.

" I didn't know your name and…" She trailed, finding herself at a loss for a workable explanation for him. After a moment, she got it, " It was the only thing I knew to say to get you to stop."

Lucy could only hope that he knew what she was trying to convey,

Pulling away from him, she drew her hands close to her lap after closing the balm. He was still as motionless as she last left him and worry started to tingle behind her mind. Had he heard her? Was it too much of a shock to him that he's having a meltdown?

With her thoughts fumbling around in her head, she was determined to at least get her apology through. " I-"

" It's Natsu."

She clamped her mouth shut, shock visible on her face as he finally turned to look at her in the eyes. There was weariness still etched on his face, but to a certain degree, he wasn't as hostile as he was earlier. " Natsu?"

" My name," He said, " It's Natsu."

" Natsu," Lucy gently repeated, a small smile gathering at her lips.

So maybe she didn't need Loke's help –after all, she got his –Natsu's- name without asking for it. She was definitely getting somewhere (that had to count for something right?)

To her surprise (again), Natsu gave her his own smile. It wasn't much, just a small lift of the corners of her lips. It was how there was a small glimmer of friendliness in his eyes that set her off smiling even more. " I think we've established that Mistress."

She gave a small laugh, the tension in the room gone. " I like it," She tells him honestly, " It's a nice name you have there."

It was clear that he hardly received any compliments by how his face was scrunched up in an awkward manner and his pink tinted ears. " Thanks I guess," He mumbled.

His reaction was cute, if not endearing to say the least. While Lucy would've normally teased the blushing victim, she knew it would probably be best if she didn't tease him now. Not when they were so new to each other and he seemed to be coiled spring.

Deciding to push that aside, Lucy began to talk about the 'important' subjects that was listed in her head. " So Natsu, I… I just wanted you to know that I never wanted you."

Que foot entering mouth –Mavis, that went out differently in her head.

" I mean I didn't ask to have you," She quickly tried to recover herself. " Wait no, I mean I didn't approve of this but my Father he –"

" Bought me as your birthday gift," Natsu interrupted, " I know."

" You know about that?" She squeaked, finding herself to be the blushing one this time around. While that was not what Lucy had originally planned to say, she did plan on sharing that with him eventually… and definitely in a less direct manner. But to have him say it –talk about embarrassing!

" It was listed in the file," Came Natsu's vague response. Whatever he meant by that, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. 'The file' sounded suspicious enough to warrant not wanting to know anything. If it was anything like the file her Father had on Natsu… Lucy mentally shuddered.

On the other side of things, she couldn't believe her Father would openly tell that to the Circuit Runners. It gave the impression that she was _eager_ to have Natsu in her custody –like she was waiting for her 21st birthday to come around so she could participate in the Circuit.

" Okay," She said after taking a deep breath. Chill Lucy, act mature. Don't blow this into another situation. " So it was in the file. That's… good to know."

Her lame attempt to be 'chill' about it somehow made it look like the conversation was ending. With how Natsu awkwardly answered a " …yeah" proved it even more.

Silence descended upon them soon after and at this point in time, Lucy really felt like giving herself a wakeup slap. Was it really that hard for her to spit out what she was here for? No, it's not. It's super easy. But no, her brain had to make things complicated by rambling nonsensical things in the beginning and then just… urgh!

All Lucy needed to do was to clear up things that was hanging between them. As long as the distinction between was remained murky, so would their dynamic be too.

"My Father bought you for the money," Lucy admitted, finding that the best course of action that she could take right now was to be as direct and truthful as she could. Lucy was almost positive that he could call out a bluff were she to spit out one. "Not because I wanted you or because I wanted to be involved in the Circuit."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Natsu stand up from the bed and walked around the room in aimless circles. The situation was getting to him, she thought with a grim frown. But on a brighter note, he was working out his pent up frustration in a harmless manner –she could even call what he was doing right now a meditative walk.

"Yeah, I figured just as much."

Natsu's sudden reply made her jerk her attention to him. Surprise was laced in her voice as she asked, "You did?"

He stopped his pacing abruptly as he turned to face her directly. He looked at her for a while, his gaze trailing up and down her figure as if evaluating her. It wasn't long before he suddenly said, "You're not cut out to be a Mistress."

"How can you tell?" Lucy asked, her curiosity pipped to the maximum.

"You're too… 'different' from them _._ " Natsu said, "Not as evil."

"Evil?" Lucy echoed quietly, slightly amused at his childlike explanation. But even with her amusement, the odd word choice Natsu had picked carried the weight of the word that struck heavy at her heart.

"I suppose you're right," Lucy said, pushing her weight further down onto the mattress with her palms pressing down on the bed. Remembering how he had thought she was here for sex, she added, "I'm not evil. I don't plan to be evil either, Natsu. Whatever your previous Master or Mistress asked you to do, I'm not asking you to do any of it."

"How do I know if you're not lying?"

Lucy gave him a wry smile, "Because you said I'm not evil."

"I said you weren't _as_ evil," Natsu corrected her, "Not _not_ evil."

She supposed that he was right in that sense, and that it was only logical for him to have a sense of doubt on her words. In his eyes, it was most likely that he was trying his very best to make sense of what was happening. To find out that she wasn't anything like how he expected definitely would take some time to sink in, and for him to believe her words and actions probably took a bit longer.

Well then, now was a good time to start building a relationship between the both of them.

The faster they got to know each other, the faster they could build up the trust.

And then he would believe in her words.

"I suppose I just need to give you a reason to trust me right?" She gently said, offering him a smile filled with hope. "Then you'll know that I speak of the truth."

Natsu gave no reply, not that she was expecting one.

She came to a conclusion that it would be best to settle things soon, before this quick chat could run any longer –and to give Natsu a brief run through about some rules he should follow during his stay.

"I know you're assigned to me to do my bidding while you're not participating in the Circuit, but like I said before, I'm not going to force you to do anything. My Father isn't around often, so when he's not in you're free to roam as you like. We'll figure out a plan when he does come home for a change. My room is directly above yours, so if you need anything you can come over," She told him,

"And it's Lucy," She called out after she gave herself some time to think about how to construct what she wanted to say. Natsu, who had resumed his pacing some time ago, stopped briefly to pay attention to her. "Not Mistress. Just Lucy."

"Lucy..?" He repeated, confusion laced in his voice. "I'm not allowed to call you by name, Mistress."

He wasn't?

Well that was something she didn't see coming. Gajeel had never mentioned anything about a rule like that before…but neither did he ever address her Father formally. He usually just used 'your Father' when speaking about Jude to her. And when Gajeel was with her Father, he almost made it a point to never speak aloud because he apparently did not want to hear Jude's ' _annoying voice that keeps grating my ears'._

"Will something happen to you if you call me by name?"

His frame tensed up visibly as he averted his gaze and stalked away from her. He walked up to the bookshelf and plucked out a random, deliberately ignoring her question. This led her to believe that yes, there were repercussions to be made if he violated that rule –and it probably had to do with Circuit Runner, if they found out. If it wasn't the Circuit Runner, then she could place her bets on Natsu's previous Master/Mistress teaching him a lesson.

Either case scenarios didn't look all that pleasant to her at all.

"Can we make a compromise?" She asked, still refusing to let it go. If Natsu had bad experiences with calling his owners by name, then she would have to change it by having some positive thoughts and actions associated with her name. And also, the more she thought about the term 'Mistress', the more Lucy found she disliked herself being labelled as that. It just made her look like she was abusing her status before him. "You'll only call me Mistress when you're in the presence of my Father. Other times, you can just call me Lucy."

Her Father was the only person that would send back word to the Circuit Runner if Natsu acted out of place, granted that the Circuit Runner was the culprit of causing Natsu to behave this way. And if the culprit was Natsu's owner… well, then Lucy had nothing to worry about –after all, Lucy was his owner now.

"Is that okay?" She gently asked as she watched him juggle a book between both hands. "We can start slow if you like. Mistress for now, and maybe… Lucy later?"

Natsu nodded in affirmation as he placed the book back into the shelf. "Yeah. That sounds good to me."

"Great!" Lucy beamed, feeling proud that they managed to come into a compromise in such a quick manner. Either her bargaining skills were upping itself, or –or _something._ Heaven knows that Lucy was more than terrible at striking a deal with anyone.

She pushed herself off from the bed and made her way to Natsu, grabbing both his hands and letting them hang loose between them. His eyes gravitated to his bound hands but he made no move to pluck them out from her grip. Be it trust or instinct to not react against his Mistress, Lucy wanted his full attention on her.

Almost as if sensing the sudden mood change in her, Natsu's expression became grim as well.

"Listen Natsu, I know… I know it's difficult for you to live by the Circuit your whole life and to be bound by Masters. But Natsu," She paused, timidly looking away from the tan skin engulfing her own pale fingers to his dark amber colored iris. His pupils were dilated, unfocused yet focused at the same time. "It's going to be different here. I promise you. We're just going to be Natsu and Lucy."

"Natsu and Lucy..?" He echoed, a tinge of confusion laced in his voice. His lips were parted and his eyes were wide.

Sparing him a gentle smile, she tightened her grip on his hands. "Yes, Natsu and Lucy. Not the Mistress and her slave."

"I don't –"

Without giving him the chance to complete his sentence, Lucy interrupted, her voice gentle as she said, "We're going to be friends, Natsu… you and I."

Maybe it was the state of affairs they were in, or the stress he was facing or the words she had chosen –Lucy didn't know. But what she did know, was that the wall that Natsu had built around himself broke. The cracks were small in his armor, but it was deep enough for him to lose composure. Without warning, he dropped his head to her shoulder, his forehead pressing deep between the conjunctions of her neck.

If he wasn't directly beneath her ear, Lucy was sure she would've missed the raspy voice of a broken boy that was trying his best to pull through.

"Thank you."

Wet tears seeped through the fabric at her collars and slowly, she let his hands free from hers to warp her arms around him in a comforting hug. While Lucy was not entirely sure what was unfolding around her, or remotely shocked by the sudden change in atmosphere (considering the amount of event whiplashes she'd face within the short minutes she had known Natsu) she knew a needy soul when she saw one.

"You're welcome."

* * *

The door slammed closed with a silent click as she exited the room. Once outside, Lucy pressed herself against the door and leveled her hand towards her pounding heart, eyes closed. That… that was um, a very eventful event. It was hard to believe that in that brief meeting with Natsu, so many things could've happened. It was almost unbelievable. Sadly for her, Lucy failed to realized that this was just the beginning of their very hectic relationship.

Lucy still had not figured out the reason why Natsu broke down like that for almost no reason at all. But she was sure something had triggered it, he didn't look like the type to cry for no reason –or cry at all, for the matter of fact. Lucy on the other hand… her heart was made of cotton. A little dab of feels was all it took for her to become a bubbling mess of snort and emotions. She was somewhat surprised that she didn't break down and cry alongside with Natsu as well.

Just as Lucy was about to stalk away from the room, she was greeted by a huge man grinning down on her.

As if she didn't already have more than enough jump scares for the day.

"Gajeel!" Lucy hissed softly at him, not wanting to let Natsu know that she was lingering outside his room. The metallic rings on his nose glistened under the light as Gajeel wrinkled his nose at her. "I'm honestly too tired to deal with you right now…"

Gajeel, who was more than used to Lucy's disinterest towards him, only laughed and spared her a cheeky grin. "Don't talk like that, Bunny Girl. I might take ya words seriously one day."

Lucy doubted that.

With a sigh, she pushed herself off the door and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Gajeel rolled his ruby red eyes at her, like the reason why he was standing outside Natsu's door was obvious enough. With his thumb, he motioned it towards the door. "Heard the Salamander was in. Figured I'd say hi."

"The Salamander?" Lucy repeated, not really sure why Gajeel had called Natsu that. But she decided to push that aside for now, wanting to move on to topics of greater importance. "Never mind, forget I said that. How did you know Natsu was here?"

"Gihi," Came his funny laugh and a broad grin that taunted Lucy far too much. "Wouldn't ya like to know."

While the overall stress Lucy had throughout the day, combined with awaiting Natsu's arrival for the past week, it was more than enough to send Lucy spiraling to her bed with tears in her eyes. And now with needing to deal with Gajeel's weird attitude… She really was at her limit.

"Gajeel," Lucy warned, hoping that he would heed her for once.

And he did, thankfully. "Tch," He grumbled out, crossing his arms. "The Pinky told me."

Of course.

 _Of course._

Virgo had a tendency to run her mouth whenever she saw anyone. It was just something Lucy should've expected.

"Well, go back to your room. You're not saying hi to Natsu today, save it for tomorrow." Lucy said as she patted him on the back, ready to steer him towards the direction of the stairwell.

For the sake of her mental state, and for Natsu's mental instability, it was really for the best if Gajeel didn't see either one of them right now.

But being built on pure muscle and weight was proving hard for Lucy to move him when he obviously didn't want to. After a minute or two of trying to make Gajeel budge, he remained rooted in place. He looked down on her with a raised eyebrow, as if silently mocking her strength. It wasn't that she lacked strength, because even as a fairly slim lady, she would say she packed a punch strong enough to knock someone out cold.

Someone that wasn't as bulky as Gajeel that is.

Deciding to give up for now, she mimicked his actions by crossing her arms over her chest. "You're not talking to Natsu today and that's final."

His face remained stoic, dissatisfied with her request.

Figuring that he probably wouldn't move from his place and would most probably sneak into Natsu's room the moment she was gone, it was best if she gave him some sort of reason as to why he shouldn't bug Natsu.

"We…" Lucy began, but her voice trailed off. "We had a bad start and a 'I don't know' ending. So please… don't bother him Gajeel."

The constipated look Gajeel had on his face was a sure indicator that he desperately wanted to know more than the vague explanation she gave. She was confident that her 'I don't know ending' was tumbling around in his mind, but Lucy didn't want to disclose Natsu's emotional breakdown before this brute. Gajeel could be quite a rude jackass when he wanted to, and so Lucy was more than determined to not pass him bullets to stock up on his insult ammos. After a minute or two, he gave in with a sigh. "Fine. You win, Bunny Girl," He grumbled out, unfolding his arms as he walked away from her. "But I'll be back tomorrow. 'night."

"Goodnight," Lucy replied gently to his retreating figure.

Once he was gone, Lucy made her way up to her room. Her legs felt like hardened jelly by the time she threw herself onto the duvet but she paid no mind to it. Now that she had some time to process her thoughts on Natsu and the Circuit Runner on her way to her room, her mind was filled with thoughts of both of them.

What _was_ the Circuit Runner exactly?

Lucy had always known they were an underground ring but… she had never really thought hard about it before. The Circuit had always been a part of her life as far as she remembered, with Gajeel's presence heavily imprinted onto her memories. She had never attended to any of the Circuit shows before, seeing that she wasn't allowed to enter without a player and she was underage as well. And so she never really paid much thought to how other Circuit players were treated –she had always assumed that they would be like Gajeel.

But now she knew that train of thought was wrong. It was stupid of her to think so otherwise. How many movies and books has she gone through to know that the rich always abused the poor? Especially when they were directly under their care.

"I'm such an idiot," Lucy moaned, reaching up to slam a pillow over her face.

But just as the pillow kissed her face, she shot up instantly as a sudden thought rang through her mind.

If there was one person acting like how Natsu acted, there was bound to be more in the Circuit. She knew that there wasn't going to be many good Samaritan Masters and Mistresses like herself in the Circuit. On a scale of how terrible her father was as a Master was pretty much close to 0. Her Father wasn't home most of the time and so he left Gajeel to his own devices, only checking on him every now and then when the Circuit dates came closer.

"I have to do something," Lucy muttered out as she chewed her lips in thought. "But what?"

But what indeed?

It was a foolish thought to think that she could save the players in the Circuit from the Circuit itself and from their respective Masters and Mistresses. She was only one person –how could she destroy the Circuit on her own? And what about the Masters and Mistresses? Exactly what can Lucy do to make the players bound to them be broken? If Lucy could send them away maybe that would do it but she def – _no._

She could.

The Circuit was an illegal business.

Illegal things equated to time in jail, if she handled it right. Lucy could easily send them off to jail and have their players set free.

A small laugh escaped her lips as she said, "I'm really such an idiot."

Because why did she think she was alone in this?

She wasn't. And she was an absolute buffoon to have thought so otherwise.

Reaching for her phone on her desk, she quickly flipped through her contacts and sent out a text. Once she was done, she switched off the lights and was determined to let sleep catch up to her. Trying to solve the Circuit problem could be dealt tomorrow, or whenever, depending on the reply she got.

Satisfied with that trail of thought, she could only hope that Natsu was alright in his room.

* * *

TEXT:

 _You free tomorrow? I have important things to discuss!_

 _Replyme,ASAP please!_

* * *

 _*_ shocking gasp* Who did Lucy send a text to? Why did Natsu break down like that? OHOHOHOHO. Time will answer all of these weird questions~

And that concludes chapter 3! I don't really like it much but meh. I tried my best (until my brain died). Thank you all for adding this story into your fav/alert list! While I didn't get as many response as my first chapter (that demotivated me tbh but yeah -I'm pretty sure all writers live to get some sort of feedback from people?) but I still appreciate those that did!

I'm sorry that it took so long to update, but that's just me in general. My life seems to be a rollercoaster tbh. I'm finally going to the USA in Dec to continue my studies so I doubt I have time to do anything xD But I will try my best to continue this story! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter written before the end of the year.

Fav/alert/review!

I love you all!

Inked.

 **Review replies:**

 **Guest (Aug18): Thank you for reading! Here's your update!**

 **Guest (Aug28): Thanks for reading! And also, here's your update~ Enjoy xx**


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